用基于TaqMan探针的Real-timePCR技术定量检测副溶血弧菌

副溶血弧菌是一种引起食源性疾病的重要病原菌,传统的鉴定方法费时费力且容易出现假阴性,建立一种定量检测副溶血弧菌基因的方法尤为重要。根据GenBank公布的副溶血弧菌的gyrB基因序列设计一对引物和TaqMan探针,建立了基于TaqMan探针的Realtime PCR方法。通过对9种细菌（12株菌株）的DNA进行扩增,结果所有4株副溶血弧菌均可产生扩增曲线,其他8株非副溶血弧菌均不产生扩增曲线,证明了引物和探针具有很高的特异性。细菌纯培养物品和人工布菌的检测敏感度分别为1 CFU/ PCR反应体系和10 CFU/PCR反应体系,相关系数均为0.99（r2＝0.99）,整个试验可在1h内完成。建立的方法可用于海产品中副溶血弧菌的快速定量检测。     

副溶血弧菌LAMP检测方法的建立

副溶血弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticus)是一种能引起食源性疾病的重要病原菌。首次将一种新颖的核酸扩增技术-环介导等温扩增技术（Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification, LAMP）应用于副溶血弧菌的快速检测。针对副溶血弧菌不耐热溶血毒素基因（tlh）设计四条特异性引物（两条内引物和两条外引物）进行LAMP扩增,对扩增反应进行优化,最佳反应时间为60 min,反应温度为60 ℃。对12种细菌共28株菌进行LAMP扩增,仅14株副溶血弧菌得到阳性扩增结果,证明引物具有很高的特异性。副溶血弧菌基因组DNA和纯培养物的检测灵敏度分别约为90 fg和24 cfu/mL。对模拟食品样品进行直接检测,检测限为89 cfu/g。结果表明,该方法检测副溶血弧菌特异性强、灵敏度高,并且操作简便、检测成本低,1 h即可完成,有望发展成为快速检测副溶血弧菌的有效手段。     

水产品中创伤弧菌和副溶血弧菌双重PCR检测方法的建立

目的 建立一种同步检测创伤弧菌和副溶血弧菌的双重PCR方法。方法 选择副溶血弧菌tlh基因和创伤弧菌vvhA基因作为靶序列各设计一对引物。用合成的引物对副溶血弧菌和创伤弧菌进行双重PCR扩增,确定特异性和最低检出限。然后用此方法对53株副溶血弧菌和7株创伤弧菌进行检测。结果 确定了双重PCR检测创伤弧菌和副溶血弧菌的最优反应条件,其中退火温度为60 ℃,方法具有较好的特异性。对副溶血弧菌的最低限为1.0×102 CFU/mL,创伤弧菌最低限为4.2×104 CFU/mL。双重PCR对分离株检测符合率达100%。结论 建立的双重PCR方法简便、快速、特异性好,可同时检测副溶血弧菌和创伤弧菌,为水产品中病原菌的基层检测提供解决方案。     

添加有扩增内标的副溶血弧菌PCR检测方法的建立

摘要：【目的】发掘副溶血弧菌特异性更强的检测靶点,并人工构建扩增内标,建立可以有效避免假阴性的新PCR检测体系。【方法】利用生物信息学方法,从副溶血弧菌（Vibrio parahaemolyticus）基因组DNA中发掘特异性很高的序列,并设计相应的特异性引物,人工构建扩增内标,建立PCR检测体系。【结果】本研究发掘得到的序列vp1332特异性很强,经检索,该序列是编码ABC转运子接合蛋白组分的基因片段,根据此序列设计一对特异检测引物（vp1332L/vp1332R）,同时,构建了扩增内标,并建立了PCR检测体系。利用该体系对296株副溶血弧菌和33株非副溶血弧菌进行检测,结果显示,所有以副溶血弧菌为模板的PCR反应均可扩增到一条343 bp的特异片段,而模板来源于非副溶血弧菌的则只能扩增到一条499 bp的扩增内标片段。灵敏度实验表明,该PCR反应体系的检测灵敏度为1.6×102 cfu/mL。人工污染实验表明,起始染菌量为1.24 cfu/25 g样品时经8 h增菌,即可检测到副溶血弧菌。实际样品检测结果也证实该方法的有效性。【结论】本研究建立的PCR反应体系能特异地检测副溶血弧菌,并可有效地排除假阴性,提高检测准确率。     

添加有扩增内标的副溶血弧菌PCR检测方法

【目的】发掘副溶血弧菌特异性更强的检测靶点,并人工构建扩增内标,建立可以有效避免假阴性的新PCR检测体系。【方法】利用生物信息学方法,从副溶血弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticus)基因组DNA中发掘特异性很高的序列,并设计相应的特异性引物,人工构建扩增内标,建立PCR检测体系。【结果】本研究发掘得到的序列vp1332特异性很强,经检索,该序列是编码ABC转运子接合蛋白组分的基因片段,根据此序列设计一对特异检测引物(vp1332L/vp1332R),同时,构建了扩增内标,并建立了PCR检测体系。利用该体系对296株副溶血弧菌和33株非副溶血弧菌进行检测,结果显示,所有以副溶血弧菌为模板的PCR反应均可扩增到一条343bp的特异片段,而模板来源于非副溶血弧菌的则只能扩增到一条499bp的扩增内标片段。灵敏度实验表明,该PCR反应体系的检测灵敏度为1.6×102cfu/mL。人工污染实验表明,起始染菌量为1.24cfu/25g样品时经8h增菌,即可检测到副溶血弧菌。实际样品检测结果也证实该方法的有效性。【结论】本研究建立的PCR反应体系能特异地检测副溶血弧菌,并可有效地排除假阴性,提高检测准确率。     

大鼠疑似泰勒氏病毒荧光定量检测方法的建立

目的建立一种能在临床上快速、准确地检测大鼠疑似泰勒氏病毒(Theiler’s-like virus of rats,TLV)的方法,采用TaqMan探针荧光定量聚合酶链式反应(qPCR)技术,特异性针对TLV病毒核酸进行检测。方法通过基因合成序列作为质粒标准品的模板,同时选择特异性的序列在3622~3729 nt处,设计一对引物和TaqMan性探针,优化反应体系及条件,进行qPCR扩增,从而建立TLV TaqMan探针qPCR方法,并对其灵敏度、稳定性和特异性进行评价。结果建立的TLV qPCR检测方法,标准曲线线性关系良好,R~2值可达到0.99,灵敏性最低能够检测到10个拷贝数/μL,对比普通PCR方法,高出其100倍;对其他常见大鼠病毒均无非特异反应;重复性良好,批内和批间变异系数均小于1%。结论利用TaqMan探针建立快速检测TLV的荧光定量PCR方法,该方法具有操作简便、灵敏度高、特异性好等特点。     

多重实时PCR检测产毒素性霍乱弧菌和副溶血弧菌

设计引物和探针,优化多重实时PCR条件,以同时检测霍乱弧菌霍乱毒素基因ctxA、副溶血弧菌种特异性基因gyrB和耐热肠毒素基因tdh。该多重实时PCR方法检测产毒素性的O1群(3株)和O139群(44株)霍乱弧菌菌株、不产毒素的O1群(12株)和O139群(6株)及非O1非O139群(7株)霍乱弧菌菌株的ctxA,阳性和阴性结果与普通PCR检测结果100%符合;检测副溶血弧菌种特异性gyrB,116株副溶血弧菌均阳性,而9株其它细菌和72株霍乱弧菌均阴性;检测tdh的阳性和阴性结果也与普通PCR结果完全一致。另外还建立了检测副溶血弧菌菌株trh1和trh2的单重实时PCR方法。     

人3型副流感病毒滴度TaqMan实时荧光定量RT-PCR检测方法的建立

目的利用TaqMan实时荧光RT-PCR(real-time RT-PCR)技术建立测定人3型副流感病毒培养物滴度的方法。方法根据人3型副流感病毒HN基因的保守序列设计引物及探针,采用10倍系列稀释的体外转录HN RNA为模板,建立定量标准曲线。验证方法的专属性、敏感性、重复性,并对人3型副流感病毒的病毒培养液滴度进行检测。结果建立的方法对HN RNA标准品的检出灵敏度为4.7 copies/μL,标准曲线相关系数为0.998,扩增效率为105%。标准品的实验内重复性CV均0.50%,实验间重复性CV3.60%。系列稀释HNRNA标准品在低温(-80℃)下保存3年后,所测标准曲线的斜率和截距差异均无统计学意义(P=0.673)。用该方法对人3型副流感病毒分离株LZ17、LZ1501和LZ1728进行检测,结果均为阳性,3个病毒分离株滴度检测重复性CV均10.00%;对7种呼吸道非人3型副流感病毒病原体检测均为阴性,表明该方法具有很高的专属性、敏感性和重复性。结论建立的TaqMan探针实时荧光定量RT-PCR技术可以快速、准确地对人3型副流感病毒滴度进行检测。     

肠球菌TaqMan实时荧光定量PCR检测方法的建立及初步应用

目的利用TaqMan荧光定量PCR方法,建立肠球菌实时荧光PCR检测方法,并初步应用于粪便中肠球菌的检测。方法根据GenBank发表的肠球菌23S rRNA基因序列的保守区域参考国外文献设计合成特异性的引物和探针[1];利用构建的质粒标准品优化Mg2 的浓度和引物探针浓度,并考核检测体系的保守性、灵敏性和重复性;初步应用于粪便标本的检测分析。结果Mg2 终浓度为4.5 mmol/L,上下游引物终浓度为0.4μmol/L,灵敏度为6拷贝数/反应;绘制两种标准曲线,构建了基因拷贝数、细菌数为分析指标的定量分析模型,检测粪便标本结果显示TaqMan荧光定量PCR方法较平板计数法敏感、快捷、简便。结论本研究建立了一种灵敏、特异、简便易行的肠球菌定量检测方法。     

双重荧光定量PCR检测志贺毒素stx1和stx2基因

目的建立一种双重荧光定量PCR检测志贺毒素stx1和stx2基因的方法。方法根据不同细菌来源的stx1和stx2序列,设计PCR引物和TaqMan探针,建立双重实时荧光定量PCR检测体系,进行灵敏度、特异性和重复性评价,并对腹泻患者粪便样本进行检测分析。结果双重实时荧光定量PCR检测含志贺毒素基因重组质粒的最低检测下限为102copies/mL;该法对12种常见肠道病原菌均无特异性扩增,对不同浓度的标准质粒检测重复性高,Ct值变异系数均小于10%;对急性腹泻粪便标本的检测阳性率高于细菌分离培养。结论建立的双重实时荧光定量PCR可作为不同细菌来源的志贺毒素基因的快速鉴定方法,亦可用于人感染性腹泻标本的快速筛查。     

TaqMan PCR for detection of Vibrio cholerae O1, O139, non-O1, and non-O139 in pure cultures, raw oysters, and synthetic seawater

Vibrio cholerae is recognized as a leading human waterborne pathogen. Traditional diagnostic testing for Vibrio is not always reliable, because this bacterium can enter a viable but nonculturable state. Therefore, nucleic acid-based tests have emerged as a useful alternative to traditional enrichment testing. In this article, a TaqMan PCR assay is presented for quantitative detection of V. cholerae in pure cultures, oysters, and synthetic seawater. Primers and probe were designed from the nonclassical hemolysin (hlyA) sequence of V. cholerae strains. This probe was applied to DNA from 60 bacterial strains comprising 21 genera. The TaqMan PCR assay was positive for all of the strains of V. cholerae tested and negative for all other species of Vibrio tested. In addition, none of the other genera tested was amplified with the TaqMan primers and probe used in this study. The results of the TaqMan PCR with raw oysters and spiked with V. cholerae serotypes O1 and O139 were comparable to those of pure cultures. The sensitivity of the assay was in the range of 6 to 8 CFU g(-1) and 10 CFU ml(-1) in spiked raw oyster and synthetic seawater samples, respectively. The total assay could be completed in 3 h. Quantification of the Vibrio cells was linear over at least 6 log units. The TaqMan probe and primer set developed in this study can be used as a rapid screening tool for the presence of V. cholerae in oysters and seawater without prior isolation and characterization of the bacteria by traditional microbiological methods.     

Application of real-time PCR for quantitative detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from seafood in eastern China

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is recognized as a leading human food-borne pathogen. A TaqMan PCR assay based on the gyrase B gene (gyrB) sequence of V. parahaemolyticus was developed for quantitative detection of V. parahaemolyticus in seafood. The study involving 27 V. parahaemolyticus and 10 strains of other species indicated that the real-time PCR test was highly specific. The sensitivity of the assay was approximately a single CFU per PCR in pure culture and six to eight CFU per PCR in spiked raw oyster, respectively. Real-time PCR values of artificially inoculated oyster homogenates correlated well with plate counts determined using culture methods. A total of 300 seafood samples were analyzed and 78 (26%) of these samples were positive for V. parahaemolyticus using a conventional culture method and 97 (32.3%) using the real-time PCR assay. All culture-positive samples were PCR-positive. However, 19 samples positive by PCR were culture-negative. The results show that retail seafood is commonly contaminated with V. parahaemolyticus in harvest season in eastern China. These data also indicate that real-time PCR can provide sensitive species-specific detection and quantification of V. parahaemolyticus in seafood without prior isolation and characterization of the bacteria by traditional microbiological methods.     

Real-time PCR analysis of Vibrio vulnificus from oysters

Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic human pathogen commonly found in estuarine environments. Infections are associated with raw oyster consumption and can produce rapidly fatal septicemia in susceptible individuals. Standard enumeration of this organism in shellfish or seawater is laborious and inaccurate; therefore, more efficient assays are needed. An oligonucleotide probe derived from the cytolysin gene, vvhA, was previously used for colony hybridizations to enumerate V. vulnificus. However, this method requires overnight growth, and vibrios may lack culturability under certain conditions. In the present study, we targeted the same locus for development of a TaqMan real-time PCR assay. Probe specificity was confirmed by amplification of 28 V. vulnificus templates and by the lack of a PCR product with 22 non-V. vulnificus strains. Detection of V. vulnificus in pure cultures was observed over a 6-log-unit linear range of concentration (10(2) to 10(8) CFU ml(-1)), with a lower limit of 72 fg of genomic DNA micro l of PCR mixture(-1) or the equivalent of six cells. Similar sensitivity was observed in DNA extracted from mixtures of V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus cells. Real-time PCR enumeration of artificially inoculated oyster homogenates correlated well with colony hybridization counts (r(2) = 0.97). Numbers of indigenous V. vulnificus cells in oysters by real-time PCR showed no significant differences from numbers from plate counts with probe (t test; P = 0.43). Viable but nonculturable cells were also enumerated by real-time PCR and confirmed by the BacLight viability assay. These data indicate that real-time PCR can provide sensitive species-specific detection and enumeration of V. vulnificus in seafood.     

Detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shellfish by use of multiplexed real-time PCR with TaqMan fluorescent probes

We developed a multiplexed real-time PCR assay using four sets of gene-specific oligonucleotide primers and four TaqMan probes labeled with four different fluorophores in a single reaction for detection of total and pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus, including the pandemic O3:K6 serotype in oysters. V. parahaemolyticus has been associated with outbreaks of food-borne gastroenteritis caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood and therefore is a concern to the seafood industry and consumers. We selected specific primers and probes targeting the thermostable direct hemolysin gene (tdh) and tdh-related hemolysin gene (trh) that have been reported to be associated with pathogenesis in this organism. In addition, we targeted open reading frame 8 of phage f237 (ORF8), which is associated with a newly emerged virulent pandemic serotype of V. parahameolyticus O3:K6. Total V. parahaemolyticus was targeted using the thermolabile hemolysin gene (tlh). The sensitivity of the combined four-locus multiplexed TaqMan PCR was found to be 200 pg of purified genomic DNA and 10(4) CFU per ml for pure cultures. Detection of an initial inoculum of 1 CFU V. parahaemolyticus per g of oyster tissue homogenate was possible after overnight enrichment, which resulted in a concentration of 3.3x10(9) CFU per ml. Use of this method with natural oysters resulted in 17/33 samples that were positive for tlh and 4/33 samples that were positive for tdh. This assay specifically and sensitively detected total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus and is expected to provide a rapid and reliable alternative to conventional detection methods by reducing the analysis time and obviating the need for multiple assays.     

Detecting potentially virulent Vibrio vulnificus strains in raw oysters by quantitative loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Vibrio vulnificus is a leading cause of seafood-related deaths in the United States. Sequence variations in the virulence-correlated gene (vcg) have been used to distinguish between clinical and environmental V. vulnificus strains, with a strong association between clinical ones and the C sequence variant (vcgC). In this study, vcgC was selected as the target to design a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid, sensitive, specific, and quantitative detection of potentially virulent V. vulnificus strains in raw oysters. No false-positive or false-negative results were generated among the 125 bacterial strains used to evaluate assay specificity. The detection limit was 5.4 CFU per reaction for a virulent V. vulnificus strain (ATCC 33815) in pure culture, 100-fold more sensitive than that of PCR. In spiked raw oysters, the assay was capable of detecting 2.5 × 10(3) CFU/g of V. vulnificus ATCC 33815, while showing negative results for a nonvirulent V. vulnificus strain (515-4c2) spiked at 10(7) CFU/g. After 6 h of enrichment, the LAMP assay could detect 1 CFU/g of the virulent V. vulnificus strain ATCC 33815. Standard curves generated in pure culture and spiked oysters suggested a good linear relationship between cell numbers of the virulent V. vulnificus strain and turbidity signals. In conclusion, the LAMP assay developed in this study could quantitatively detect potentially virulent V. vulnificus in raw oysters with high speed, specificity, and sensitivity, which may facilitate better control of V. vulnificus risks associated with raw oyster consumption.     

Real-time PCR detection of Vibrio vulnificus in oysters: comparison of oligonucleotide primers and probes targeting vvhA

We compared three sets of oligonucleotide primers and two probes designed for Vibrio vulnificus hemolysin A gene (vvhA) for TaqMan-based real-time PCR method enabling specific detection of Vibrio vulnificus in oysters. Two of three sets of primers with a probe were specific for the detection of all 81 V. vulnificus isolates by TaqMan PCR. The 25 nonvibrio and 12 other vibrio isolates tested were negative. However, the third set of primers, F-vvh1059 and R-vvh1159, with the P-vvh1109 probe, although positive for all V. vulnificus isolates, also exhibited positive cycle threshold (C(T)) values for other Vibrio spp. Optimization of the TaqMan PCR assay using F-vvh785/R-vvh990 or F-vvh731/R-vvh1113 primers and the P-vvh874 probe detected 1 pg of purified DNA and 10(3) V. vulnificus CFU/ml in pure cultures. The enriched oyster tissue homogenate did not exhibit detectable inhibition to the TaqMan PCR amplification of vvhA. Detection of 3 x 10(3) CFU V. vulnificus, resulting from a 5-h enrichment of an initial inoculum of 1 CFU/g of oyster tissue homogenate, was achieved with F-vvh785/R-vvh990 or F-vvh731/R-vvh1113 primers and P-vvh875 probe. The application of the TaqMan PCR using these primers and probe, exhibited detection of V. vulnificus on 5-h-enriched natural oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. Selection of appropriate primers and a probe on vvhA for TaqMan-PCR-based detection of V. vulnificus in post-harvest-treated oysters would help avoid false-positive results, thus ensuring a steady supply of safe oysters to consumers and reducing V. vulnificus-related illnesses and deaths.     

Detection of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in oyster enrichments by real time PCR

A real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed and evaluated to detect the presence of the thermostable direct hemolysin gene (tdh), a current marker of pathogenicity in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The real time PCR fluorogenic probe and primer set was tested against a panel of numerous strains from 13 different bacterial species. Only V. parahaemolyticus strains possessing the tdh gene generated a fluorescent signal, and no cross-reaction was observed with tdh negative Vibrio or non-Vibrio spp. The assay detected a single colony forming unit (CFU) per reaction of a pure culture template. This sensitivity was achieved when the same template amount per reaction was tested in the presence of 2.5 microl of a tdh negative oyster:APW enrichment (oyster homogenate enriched in alkaline peptone water overnight at 35 degrees C). This real time technique was used to test 131 oyster:APW enrichments from an environmental survey of Alabama oysters collected between March 1999 and September 2000. The results were compared to those previously obtained using a streak plate procedure for culture isolation from the oyster:APW enrichment combined with use of a non-radioactive DNA probe for detection of the tdh gene. Real time PCR detected tdh in 61 samples, whereas the streak plate/probe method detected tdh in 15 samples. Only 24 h was required for detection of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in oyster:APW enrichments by real time PCR, whereas the streak plate/probe method required 3 days and was more resource intensive. This study demonstrated that real time PCR is a rapid and reliable technique for detecting V. parahaemolyticus possessing the tdh gene in pure cultures and in oyster enrichments.     

Sequence of a cloned pR72H fragment and its use for detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shellfish with the PCR.

The nucleotide sequence of pR72H cloned from Vibrio parahaemolyticus 93 was determined. We examined all V. parahaemolyticus gene sequences published in the GenBank-EMBL databases for homology and found that no other DNA sequence of V. parahaemolyticus was highly homologous to the sequence reported in this study. A pair of primers, VP33-VP32, derived from a pR72H fragment were selected to detect V. parahaemolyticus. The sensitivity of PCR detection for a pure culture of V. parahaemolyticus was 10 cells from crude bacterial lysates. Furthermore, a detection level of 2.6 fg, equivalent to 1 cell, was obtained by using purified chromosomal DNA as the template. The expected PCR products were obtained from all V. parahaemolyticus strains tested (n = 124), while no PCR amplicons were found in other vibrios or related genera (n = 50). High levels (10(6) to 10(10) CFU/ml) of Escherichia coli cells did not affect the PCR assay sensitivity. The presence of 10(8) V. parahaemolyticus cells or 10(9) E. coli cells in the PCR mixtures completely inhibited the PCR. When oyster samples were inoculated with V. parahaemolyticus 93 and cultured in tryptic soy broth containing 3% NaCl for 3 h at 35 degrees C, an initial sample inoculum level of 9.3 CFU/g was detected in a PCR assay with crude bacterial lysates. The PCR assay with enrichment culturing in salt polymyxin broth was compared with the conventional method for naturally contaminated shellfish and fish samples. We conclude that this PCR assay with enrichment culturing is a good alternative method for the detection of V. parahaemolyticus.     

Development of a multiplex real-time PCR assay with an internal amplification control for the detection of total and pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria in oysters

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is an estuarine bacterium that is the leading cause of shellfish-associated cases of bacterial gastroenteritis in the United States. Our laboratory developed a real-time multiplex PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of the thermolabile hemolysin (tlh), thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh), and thermostable-related hemolysin (trh) genes of V. parahaemolyticus. The tlh gene is a species-specific marker, while the tdh and trh genes are pathogenicity markers. An internal amplification control (IAC) was incorporated to ensure PCR integrity and eliminate false-negative reporting. The assay was tested for specificity against >150 strains representing eight bacterial species. Only V. parahaemolyticus strains possessing the appropriate target genes generated a fluorescent signal, except for a late tdh signal generated by three strains of V. hollisae. The multiplex assay detected <10 CFU/reaction of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in the presence of >10(4) CFU/reaction of total V. parahaemolyticus bacteria. The real-time PCR assay was utilized with a most-probable-number format, and its results were compared to standard V. parahaemolyticus isolation methodology during an environmental survey of Alaskan oysters. The IAC was occasionally inhibited by the oyster matrix, and this usually corresponded to negative results for V. parahaemolyticus targets. V. parahaemolyticus tlh, tdh, and trh were detected in 44, 44, and 52% of the oyster samples, respectively. V. parahaemolyticus was isolated from 33% of the samples, and tdh(+) and trh(+) strains were isolated from 19 and 26%, respectively. These results demonstrate the utility of the real-time PCR assay in environmental surveys and its possible application to outbreak investigations for the detection of total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus.     

Development of a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction targeted to the toxR for detection of Vibrio vulnificus

The TaqMan assay, a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), was developed to target the ToxR gene (toxR) of Vibrio vulnificus. The toxR of V. vulnificus was cloned and sequenced. Based on these results, we designed specific primers and a probe for use in the quantitative PCR assay. Twenty-nine strains of V. vulnificus that were obtained from various sources produced a single PCR product. The amount of final amplification product and threshold cycle number were the same among the strains. We used the method to detect V. vulnificus in seawater and oyster samples. We developed standard curves to quantitate V. vulnificus numbers using the PCR from seawater and oyster samples. The standard curves were not different from that of the pure culture of V. vulnificus. We found the assay was very sensitive detecting as few as 10 microbes per milliliter of seawater and oyster homogenate. Moreover, we evaluated the TaqMan assay to detect V. vulnificus in seawater samples. The numbers of V. vulnificus counted by the TaqMan assay were similar to those by a culture method in almost samples. The TaqMan assay was performed within 2 h compared to days using the culture method. The results indicate the TaqMan assay method used in this study was rapid, effective and quantitative for monitoring V. vulnificus contamination in seawater and seafoods such as oysters.